Washing machine



Feb. 26, 1924; 1,435,35

O. HERRMANN WASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 7. 1922 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Feb. 26, 1924'; 1,485,354

w 0. HERRMANN WASHING MACHINE.

Fi led Aug. '7. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 2e; 1924.

; UNITED STATES or'ro Hnmmmmv, or ERFUR'I, GERMANY. assronon T J. A. :rorm AKTrEN-GESELL- scrmr'r, or'nnrunr-rnvnnsennormv, GERMANY.

WASHING MACHINE. 0

Application filed August To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, Or'ro HERRMANN, a citizen of the German Republic, residing at Erfurt, Germany, have invented certain Improvements Relating to Washing Machines, of which the following is av specification, for which I have filed an application in France, July 1,1922.

This invention relates to a washing machine of the kind in-which a rotary drum is arranged within a stationary one, and its object is to provide means whereby the machine is automatically started by the closing of the stationary drum, and whereby an opening of the latter drum while the machine is at work causes an immediate stoppage of the same. This is effected according to the invention by the provision of' a springrpressed belt fork which tends to stop the machine and whose operating elements are sci engaged by the drum cover as to bring about a starting when the cover is closed, an opening of the cover while the machine is in motion causing'the belt fork. to be released, so as to stop the machine. v

Means 'are provided whereby the inner drum can be conveniently turned into filling and emptying position while at rest and also forlocking it when arrivingat siich position, such locking means being also controlled by the cover of the outer drum so as to be inoperative when the machine is at work. Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings represents an end view of the washing drum,

.Fig. 2, a side view of the mechanism, partly in section,

Fig. 3, adiagrammatic end view of the drum showing the device in a different position, and a Fig. 4, a plan on a larger scale, artly in section, of the locking device font e inner drum.

The machine iscomposed of a stationary drum 3 within which thev actual washing drum 27 is adapted torot'ate, its shaft-being geared by means of a gear wheel 48 and a pinion 49, to'acounter-shaft 12 which is fitted with a .narrow, fast pulley arranged between two wide, loose ones. There are two belts which are controlled by a belt fork 16 and which run in opposite directions. The belt fork is connected at 15 to a shaft 13 which can be adjusted rotatably as well 7, 1922. Serial No. 580,206.

as axially. In the central position of the belt fork, the belts run on the two outer loose pulleys, and the fork is shifted from one side to the other for driving the washing drum in opposite directions.

The shaft 13 is guided in the machine frame 14, at one end direct and at the other end through the medium" of a sleeve 22 connected to a weight-balanced lever 11. .This sleeve is rotatable and is prevented from axial displacement by a rigid screw24 which engages a circumferential groove 23 in the sleeve. Two screws 21, fitted in the sleeve, engage a longitudinal groove 20 in the shaft 13 so as to compel the latter to participate in the rotarymovements of the sleeve while leaving it free to move azgially relative to the same. A latch-piece 17 rigidly connected to the shaft 13 co-operates with a notch formed between two guide plates 18, secured at 19 to the machine' frame, so as to look the belt fork in its neutral position. There are two coil springs 26 on the shaft. One of these abuts against the sleeve 22 and against a collar 25 which is fixed to the shaft. The other spring abuts against the boss of the latch 17 and-against the' central and neutral position and when the lever'11 hasthe position shown in Fig. 1, the latch 17 looks ,the belt fork in this position. The weight 11 of the lever 11 is arranged so. as to pass over the dead center when the lever is rocked from one position 'to' the other. The lever 11 is loosely connected by means of a slotted link 10 to a double armed operating lever 7 which is pivoted at 9 to the end wallof the drum 3. The lever arm to which the link 10 is connected carries a w'eightfi; the other arm is free and projects beyond the circumference of the drum. The drum has a -sliding'lid 2 fitted with an-operating handle 1. A bolt 5.- is fitted in a boss 5? on the cover 2 so that it can be extended forengagement with thefree end of the lever 7 when the cover is closed. The bolt is operated by means of a weighted. handle 4, and it has a stud vt3 which, by engagementwith notches m and m inside the boss, retains the bolt, either in extended (operative) position, as

shown by full lines in Fig. 2, or in retracted (inoperative) position, as shown by dotted lines. The stud 5 passes through a longitudinal groove m from one notch to the other, and the handle 4 is turned in opposite directions for engagement with the different notches.

' One of the loose pulleys is secured to a worm 43 which continually operates a worm wheel mounted on a shaft 44. This wormin Figs. 1 and 2 show the position of the elements when the cover 2 is open and the machine at rest, the belt fork being locked in the neutral position by the latch 17 under the influence of the weight of the levers 7 and 11. When the cover is closed, the extended bolt 5 engages the lever 7 and turns it into the position shown in Fig. 3. The

' lever 7 reverses the position of the lever 11 which, in turning the shaft 13, releases the belt fork and puts the latch 17 into engagement with the lever 46. While this engagement lasts, the shaft will be reciprocated by the lever 46, and the belts will be shifted alternately into driving position for reversing the rotation of the washing drum at predetermined intervals. The pulley which carries the worm 43. is never completely disengaged from its belt which is made wide enough to overlap this pulley and drive the belt shifter at the same time as the machine. As soon as the lever 11 is operated for releasing the belt fork, the latter is at once restored by one of the springs 26 to the stopping position. If the cover2 should be opened while the machine is' at work, the

lever 7 will be released from the bolt 5 and, under the influence of the weight 6, restored to the position shown in Fig. 1. At the same time the latch 17 is disengaged from the belt shifter and turned onto one of the guide plates 18 which guides it into locking position. Thus the machine will not only be stopped, but the belt fork will also be locked by the latch 17 in the neutral position, so that accidents while emptying and refilling the drum are prevented.

The inner drum 27 has a hinged cover which, to allow the drum to be opened, must be turned into the same position as the opening of the outer drum. For this purpose the shaft 12 is fitted with a hand wheel 42 by means of which the drum can be conveniently turned. By way of adding to the safety, means are provided for locking the inner drum automatically in the emptying or filling position while the cover 2 is open. The locking device employed for this purpose is shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and consists of a spring. 33 engages a notch 39 in a bevelled I ridge 41 connected to the inner drum. the

' bolt 29 being guided in a casing 30 connected to the end wall of the outer drum, the casin having an aperture 31 through which the bolt projects. The spring 33 bears against a collar 35 on the bolt and againsta flange 34- in the casing. When the inner drum is turned by means of the hand wheel 42, the bolt 29 rides with its rounded end up the slopes 40'of the ridge 41 and snaps into the notch 39.,as soon as the drum I arrives in the emptying position. The bplt 29 projects also through the outer end of the casing 30, and to this end is connected a boss 28 carrying two lever arms 8 which areset at about right angles to one another and held so as to turn into the path of the bolt 5. Thus, when the cover 2 is closed, the lever 8 will be turned from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 3, and when it is opened the lever will be restored to the position of Fig. 1. The boss 28 fits over a reduced portion 32 of the casing 30, and within this portion there is a helical cam groove 38 which is engaged by a stud 36 connected to the bolt 29. When the bolt 29 is turned by the lever 8, it is guided by the cam groove, in one case into the position shown in Fig. 2 and in the other case into the posishown in Fig. 4. Fig. 2 shows the position of the bolt 29 when the cover 2 is open. it being then free to'snap into the re- 4, the bolt is held back by the engagement of the stud 36 with a circular part 37 of the cam groove, 50 that the inner drum 27 is free to rotate.

When the machine is to be stopped with out opening the drum, the bolt 5 is simply withdrawn from engagement with the lever 7 which then takes up the position shown in Fig. 1 and shifts the belts onto the loose pulleys.

I claim:

1. In a rotary washing machine, the combination with a rotatable inner drum and a stationary outer drum having a slidable cover, of a spring-pressed belt fork tending to maintain itself in the neutral posi tion, a belt drive controlled by said fork and adapted to rotate the inner drum in opposite directions when the fork is reciprocated from one side of the-neutral position to the other, a latch adapted to participate in the reciprocating movements of the fork and tending to lock the fork in the neutral position, connection between the latch and said cover whereby the latch is tripped so as to unlock the fork when the cover is closed and released when the cover is opened, and a continuously operated swinging lever adapted to engage with the latch so as to reciprocate the belt fork when the latch is tripped by the closing of the cover.

2. In a rotary washing machine, the combination with a rotatable inner drum and a stationary outer drum having a slidable cover, of an axially adjustable belt fork shaft, springs arranged. on said shaft so as to maintain it normally with the belt fork in the neutral position, a belt drive controlled by said shaft and adapted to rotateis tripped by the closing of the. cover.

3. In a rotary washing machine, the combination'with'a rotatable inner drum and a stationary outer drum having a slidable cover, of an axially and rotatable adjustable belt fork shaft, springs arranged on said shaft so as to maintain it normally with the belt fork in the neutral position, a rigid lock plate, a weighted lever connected to the shaft, a latch piece connected to the.

shaft so as to be held against said lock plate under the influence ofthe weighted lever, the lock plate being adapted to arrest the latch piece so as to lock the shaft in the neutral position, a belt drive controlled by said shaft and adapted to rotate the inner drum in opposite directions when the shaft is reciprocated past the neutral position, means operated by said cover dur-. ing, the closing movement of the same for turning the shaft so as to release the latch piece from the lock plate, and a continuously operated swinging lever adapted to engage with the latch piece when thus released for reciprocating the shaft.

4. In a rotary Washing machine, the combination with a rotatable inner drum and a stationary outer drum having a slidable cover, of an axially and rotatably adjustable belt fork shaft, springs arranged on said shaft so as to maintain it normally with the belt fork in the neutral position, a rigid lock plate, a weighted lever connected to the shaft, a latch piece connected to the shaft so as to be held against said lock plate under the influence of the weighted lever. the lock plate being adapted to arrest the latch piece so as to lock the shaft with the belt fork in the neutral position, a belt drive controlled by'said shaft and adapted to rotate'the inner drum in opposite directions when the shaft is reciprocated past the neutral position, an operating lever linked to said weighted lever for turning the shaft, a bolt arranged on said cover so that it can be extended for engagement with said operating lever, the arrangement being such that the shaft is turned for releasing the latch piece from the lock plate when, the cover is opened, and a continuously operated swinging lever adapted to engage with said latch piece when thus released,

position', a continuously operated beltshifter, a latch. for locking said belt shifter for operating the drum, connections between the latch and said cover for releasing the belt fork from the belt-shifter so as to stop the machine when the cover is opened,

means for turning the inner drum by hand to the emptying'position while'the machine is at rest, and means for locking the drum automatically in such position,

6. In a washing machine, the combination with a stationary outer drum having a slidable cover and with an inner rotatory drum, of a belt drive adapted by a shifting of the belts to-rotate the inner drum in either direction, a spring-pressed belt "fork tending to maintain itself in the neutral position, a continuously operated belt shifter, a latch for locking said belt shifter for operating the drum, connections between the latch and said cover for releasing the belt fork from the belt shifter so as to stop the machine vwhen the cover is opened, means for turningthe inner drum by hand to the emptying position while the machine is at rest, a

spring-pressed lock bolt fitted in the outer,

drum so as to engage the inner drum and arrest 1t in the emptying position, a lever connected to said bolt, means for shifting the bolt into and out of operative position when the lever is turned, and an operating bolt connected to the cover of the outer drum so as to turn said lever for shifting the lock bolt, into the operative position when the cover is opened and into the inoperative position when the cover is closed.

OTTOHERRMANN. 

